We keep some cows on our ranch in order to maintain our agricultural tax exemption. My cattle are black angus crossed to a Charolais bull. I sell my calves to a meat market that sells only pasture fed beef. The owner of meat market calls it "burgundy" beef. After under grazing my land for several years, I decided to add a few head of momma cows. I just purchased eight brangus heavy bred heifers. They are from good stock and are bred to a registered black angus bull. Their calves will be angus-plus cattle. These twenty-two month old bred heifers cost &2,750.00 each. Four years ago they would have cost eight hundred to a thousand bucks. Like Lbourou stated, the cattle population is way down.
On the upside, I am selling seven hundred pound calves for twelve to thirteen hundred dollars. It's a ridiculous market at this time, and I am surprised that people are still buying beef in lieu of chicken and fish.
I have deer galore, but my bride will no longer eat venison. She did in the old days, but like Jack, she has lost her appetite for it. I teasingly tell her she has turned into a rich B.
My cows save me about 15 grand a year in taxes, so I don't need to make a profit with them, but the past four years has been good to me, and more importantly, it has beed good to the REAL cattle producers. The one's whose livihood depends on it.
